


Sunset at the Park

by SilverWolf96



Series: Kids of Colony 9 [2]
Category: Xenoblade Chronicles
Genre: Cute Kids, F/M, Family, Fluff and Hurt/Comfort, Friendship, Gen, Implied/Referenced Alcohol Abuse/Alcoholism, Pre-Canon, Pre-Relationship, Sibling fight, Stargazing, Sunsets
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-07-16
Updated: 2020-07-16
Packaged: 2021-03-05 05:01:28
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,859
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/25318738
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/SilverWolf96/pseuds/SilverWolf96
Summary: Fiora and Dunban had an argument, leading to Fiora storming off and dragging Shulk with her to Outlook Park, where they spend the entire night, talking about all kinds of things.
Relationships: Fiora/Shulk (Xenoblade Chronicles)
Series: Kids of Colony 9 [2]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1834690
Comments: 8
Kudos: 34





	Sunset at the Park

**Author's Note:**

> Mostly based on the first heart-to-heart of the game, “Sunrise in the Park”. And I guess a bit of a reference to something mentioned in a side quest later in the game, as well as another heart-to-heart. Some details might not quite match up.  
> For their ages, this takes place roughly 8-10 years before the game, so Fiora and Shulk are 6-8 years old and Dunban is 18-20.  
> I don’t think there are any spoilers here.  
> Enjoy, and please let me know what you think!

### Sunset at the park

“No, it’s stupid! And you’re stupid! I don’t want to live with you anymore!” Fiora yells at her brother before storming out of the house in a fit of rage. Ignoring Dunban calling for her to stop and come back home. 

It’s evening, and starting to get a bit chilly, but she doesn’t even pay attention to it, just wanting to leave, at least for a bit. She contemplates going down to the beach, but decides against it, remembering more aggressive wildlife comes out at night. She spends a few minutes wondering what to do, when she comes up with an idea, and sets off. 

She makes her way through the Commercial District, passes by Gem Man’s stall, crosses the bridge to the Central Plaza, followed by the other bridge, finally arriving at the Military District. She swiftly makes her way to the Weapons Development Lab, knowing that’s where she’ll find Shulk. 

And there he is indeed, in the lab, sitting at the table in the corner, tinkering with some parts and taking notes in a small notebook next to him. He’s so immersed in whatever research he’s doing, he doesn’t even notice Fiora storming in. Dickson is nowhere to be seen, probably out somewhere working.

“Shulk!” Fiora calls out to him, causing him to jump in surprise. He turns to face her with a small smile, looking happy to see her, but also a bit confused at her tone. 

“Fiora!” He replies in a smaller voice, still giving her that friendly, but slightly uncertain smile. “I was just trying to see if there’s some way to use these old transport parts to make a -”

“I’m sure that’s very interesting and all,” Fiora interrupts him. “But you’re taking a break now, and you’re coming with me.” She grabs his arm and pulls him out of his seat. Shulk doesn’t protest at all, simply putting down his tools and letting her pull him along.

“Oh, okay,” Shulk complies easily, following her outside and away from the lab and the Military District. 

_That went easier than I thought it would_ , Fiora thinks as she pulls Shulk along, over the bridges to the Residential District and just a bit further. _Usually it takes more than that to get him out of the lab, especially when he’s working on something_. Well, she isn’t going to complain.

Since it’s in the evening, things are starting to quiet down, and people are going home to their families, so there aren’t many people around. The few that are greet them or wave at them as they pass by. 

“Where are we going, Fiora?” Shulk asks her as they get just outside the Residential District. “You know we’re not supposed to go outside the Colony by ourselves.” 

“Just over there,” Fiora points to the staircase not far away, watching out for and making sure to not disturb the local wildlife. “Outlook Park. We’ve been there before, it’s fine.” 

“Well, I guess that’s okay...” Shulk agrees, somewhat hesitantly, but still goes with her. He’s always been the type to do everything to not get in any kinds of trouble. But he’s also a good friend.

They walk up all the stairs, reaching Outlook Park. It’s completely silent, asides from some crickets and their quiet footsteps. Shulk sits down on the bench, his feet dangling a few inches above the ground. Fiora walks right up to the edge of the cliff, leaning against the fence and looking out over the Colony, feeling the wind in her hair. The walk and the company has actually helped her calm down quite a bit.

“Are... you okay?” Shulk carefully asks after a few minutes of complete silence. He looks at her with a slightly worried look, finally catching on that she’s not quite herself. 

“No,” Fiora admits, turning to face him, crossing her arms in front of her. Looks at Shulk for a little bit. His eyes and hair almost seem to glow in the sunset. She shakes her head a bit before explaining “I just had a fight with Dunban.”

“Oh,” Shulk looks surprised, because usually the two get along just fine, asides from some standard sibling-arguments. “What happened?” he asks, tilting his head to the side, as if wondering if this is the right thing to be doing. 

“He started coming home really drunk and really late at night,” Fiora starts as she begins pacing back-and-forth in front of the bench Shulk is sitting on. “And like, he’ll be throwing up in the bathroom for half an hour, and then pass out on the couch and then wake up in the morning with a hangover, throw up again and then just lay around all day because he’s in too much pain.” It feels kind of good to talk about it, she finds. And having someone listen, and maybe give some help or tips on how to handle it.

“That doesn’t sound good,” Shulk says quietly, looking surprised and a bit sad. 

“Yeah, it’s not,” Fiora agrees wholeheartedly. “And I’ve read that drinking lots of alcohol is really bad and people die from it, so I’ve told him that it’s bad for him and that he needs to not drink so much. Or not drink at all, maybe.” To her, it had seemed like a sensible thing to say. Dunban doesn’t read much, so maybe he didn’t know about it. 

“That seems like a smart thing to do,” Shulk agrees with her. He too doesn’t seem to be too into the idea of Dunban dying from something so stupid as drinking too much alcohol. “What happened then?”

“Then the fight started,” Fiora says with a sigh. “It got pretty bad and we were both yelling at each other and then I couldn’t deal with it anymore and called him stupid and left.” She slumps down on the bench next to Shulk, burying her hands in her hair. “I hate this.”

“Um...” Shulk clearly doesn’t know what to say in this situation and decides to just kind of awkwardly try to hug Fiora and pat her on the back at the same time. “Maybe... you both need some time to... calm down. And then you can... maybe talk about it?”

“Yeah, you’re right,” Fiora agrees. “Maybe some kind of compromise or something... Hey, doesn’t Dickson drink as well? Dunban always says they go together, sometimes with Mumkhar,” she suddenly remembers.

“Yeah, he does,” Shulk says, thoughtfully. “But he’s never been sick or passed out or anything. It’s weird.” He thinks about it for a moment before adding “Maybe it’s because he’s older or something?”

“Yeah, maybe...” Fiora sighs, leaning against Shulk, taking hold of his hand. “I hope we can come up with something...” _Grown-ups are so complicated sometimes_ , she thinks. _Why do something that makes you sick and is bad for you?_

“I’m sure you will,” Shulk tells her. “You’re family. And besides, Dunban has never been able to stay mad at anyone for long.”

“You’re right,” Fiora agrees. “Remember that time you and Reyn were arguing and yelling at each other so much it upset me, and then he told both of you off, and then took all of us for ice cream?”

“Yeah, I remember,” Shulk says. “And then Dickson told off all of us for having ice cream just before dinner!” They both laugh for a bit.

“I almost forgot that!” Fiora laughs. “But then he just let it go and got more ice cream for dessert after we had dinner!”

“That was great!” Shulk agrees with a bright smile. “I’ve never eaten so much ice cream in one day.”

“When I grow up, I’m going to eat as much ice cream as I want, for breakfast and lunch and dinner if I feel like it!” Fiora declares enthusiastically. 

“When I grow up, I’m going to only eat food that I like,” Shulk decides. “No one can tell me I have to eat any stuff I don’t like!”

“Yeah, that’ll be great!” Fiora agrees. She thinks for a moment before adding “I think I’d like to have a restaurant, or a bakery, or something like that.” She turns to Shulk. “You know, because I like cooking and baking. And then you can come and eat there, too, and we’ll both get what we want!”

“Sounds great! Your cooking is amazing!” Shulk tells her. “I want to work at the lab, I think. Figuring out the Monado and designing and building stuff to help protect people.”

“That sounds just like you, and you’re already spending almost all your time at the lab,” Fiora tells him, nudging his arm playfully. “Remember to take breaks sometimes!”

“Of course! How else would I come visit your restaurant or bakery?” Shulk asks, completely serious and slightly confused. It’s quite sweet that his first thought on what to do on a break is visit her, but not quite what she meant.

“I didn’t mean just when you want to eat something,” Fiora says. “I mean also to just take a break and spend some time with friends and family and stuff like that.”

“Oh, yeah, that’s right, I’d like to have a family too, when I grow up!” Shulk suddenly remembers, making Fiora wonder if he’s thought about that often. If he’s felt lonely, without a family.

“But you already have family?” Fiora says, confused. “I mean, you live with Dickson, and he takes care of you and teaches you stuff, so he’s kind of like a dad, right?”

“I guess?” Shulk sounds a bit uncertain, but not completely against the thought. “I mean, I guess he’s kind of like my dad, but I don’t want to replace my real dad either...”

“You don’t have to replace anyone,” Fiora informs him. “He’s like, a second dad, but not a replacement. Remember how Desire’s parent split up and her mum got together with some other guy and now she says she has two dads and a mum? It’s kind of like that.”

“Oh,” Shulk says and nods in understanding. “I get it. I like that.” He seems to be feeling a lot better about this family thing, so Fiora gives herself a pat on the back for that.

“And,” Fiora continues, pleased with Shulk’s reaction. “If I become your bride, then me and Dunban will be your family too!”

“Oh, okay!” Shulk easily goes along with it, looking excited at the idea of having even more family. “That sounds nice!”

“I’m going to be the most beautiful bride ever!” Fiora declares, already imagining what kind of dress she’ll want. Maybe she can use her mother’s old one? To remind her and Dunban of her, maybe?

“I’m sure you will!” Shulk tells her, still smiling and looking at her adoringly. “I mean, you’re already really pretty!” Which causes her to blush and turn away, so he doesn’t see it. It’s a bit embarrassing, but also flattering.

“This is stupid, just forget about it!” She tells him, feeling a bit stupid about the whole thing. 

“Okay?” Shulk doesn’t seem to quite understand her, but goes along with it anyway. He has such a bad memory on things that don’t have to do with machines, he’ll probably forget it anyway, Fiora figures, putting the matter out of her mind.

They sit on the bench for a bit in silence for a bit, watching the stars in the night sky. It’s a clear, cloudless night, so they’re clearly visible, especially when not in the middle of the Colony. 

“The stars look so nice from here,” Fiora says, leaning back to take in the night sky. “I’ve never been up this late before. It’s kind of exciting.”

“Yeah, they do,” Shulk agrees, leaning back with her, one arm around her shoulders. “And me neither. I always just get told kids need to go to bed earlier because we need more sleep.”

“Hmm, same here,” Fiora says, leaning her head on Shulk’s shoulder, feeling a bit sleepy. “I bet if we stay awake a bit longer, we’ll see the sunrise in the morning.”

“Maybe. I’m not sure if we can stay awake that long,” Shulk says, contemplating for a bit before asking “Maybe we should try? I’m sure the sunrise is very beautiful.”

“Yeah, for sure!” Fiora enthusiastically agrees. “I read somewhere that the best way to stay awake is to talk to someone, so it’s good we’re both here.”

“Okay,” Shulk agrees. “What should we talk about?”

“Everything! Anything we want!” Fiora tells him. “Like, plans for the future, or something! Maybe we can go fishing tomorrow? Or the day after tomorrow?”

“Sure,” Shulk agrees. “I haven’t been fishing before, but I’m curious to find out what bait is the best to find different kinds of fish.” He looks like he’s about to pull out a notebook and start making plans. 

“That’s just like you!” Fiora laughs, because of course Shulk would turn something like fishing into an experiment of some kind. He just cannot turn of his researcher-brain. “We should bring Reyn, too. I think he mentioned he used to go fishing with his parents. And there are some recipes I’ve found that I want to try.”

“Yeah, it’ll be fun!” Shulk says. “Just the three of us! And getting to try your new food is a great bonus!”

With that decided, they both sit up most of the night, talking about the future, families, making plans for what they would like to do and happen, and what they would like to make happen. They keep talking and talking, even as they’re slumping against each other, eyes slipping shut before they shake themselves awake again. 

After a number of hours, the darkness begins to disappear, and the sky starts turning all kinds of shades of red and gold with the sunrise. It’s gorgeous. When Shulk looks down, he notices Fiora has fallen asleep on his shoulder, still holding his hand. She looks calm and peaceful, giving Shulk a warm, fuzzy feeling in his stomach.

The peace and quiet doesn’t last long, as a few minutes later Dunban shows up, Dickson right behind him, muttering something like “Told you they would be here”. The former does not look happy, and the latter looks mostly bored. Dunban beelines straight to the children, stopping right in front of them. The sound of his footsteps wakes Fiora. 

“You’ve been here all night?! Both of you!” he yells at them the moment he reaches the bench. “What were you thinking, just running off like that?! Shulk, even you? Not even leaving a note or anything? Do you two have any idea how worried I was?! I thought something had happened to you when you didn’t come home!” 

He looks like a mess, with his wild hair, messed up clothes and a wild look in his eyes, which are underlined with dark circles. He’s panting like he’s been running himself ragged all night. Seeing the normally calm and composed Dunban like this is quite a shock to both children.

Shulk is starting to feel a bit guilty, muttering a quiet “sorry...” Fiora is nearly in tears, hugging Shulk and not getting a word out. Dickson puts a hand on Dunban’s shoulder, pulling him back a step or two, getting him to quiet down a bit. 

“Calm down there, Beastie,” he says in his normal, drawling voice, not seeming even a little bit concerned. “I told you they would be fine, because they’re smart kids. And they are. So be happy about that, at least.”

“You’re right,” Dunban sighs, rubbing the back of his neck. “Maybe I went a bit overboard.” He olds his hand out to Fiora, giving her an apologetic smile. “Let’s go home. We have some things to talk about, I believe.”

Fiora sniffs but lets go of Shulk to hold out both her hands toward Dunban, who picks her up to carry her. 

“Hey kiddo,” Dickson comes to stand in front of Shulk as Dunban steps aside to leave. “Good on you for helping Fiora when she was feeling upset. But next time you go somewhere, leave a note or something, okay?” 

“Okay,” Shulk promises, hopping down from the bench to follow Dunban and Fiora back to the Colony. 

“Good kid,” Dickson tells him before ruffling his hair and picks him up like Dunban did to Fiora. Shulk leans into him, remembering what Fiora said about the whole family thing, and thinking she’s probably right about it. It’s also a nice feeling.

They return to the Colony and the kids are so tired from their night out they fall asleep before they’re there and sleep well past noon. 

Fiora and Dunban have a talk later and he agrees with her that drinking is indeed not doing him any good, and promises to at least cut down and maybe even stop altogether. Apparently, he also talked to Dickson about it.

They go fishing with Reyn the next day. Fiora catches the biggest fish and is very proud of her catch. Shulk is just happy they had a nice day together, and that his experimenting with fish bait was successful.

**Author's Note:**

> Oh, and if you want to see the dialouge for the heart-to-heart that inspired this, you'll find it [ here ](https://xenoblade.fandom.com/wiki/Sunrise_in_the_Park)


End file.
